Westminster Ranks in Top 150 of America's Colleges and Universities

9/3/2010
Campus News

Forbes magazine has ranked Westminster College in the Top 150 of America's Colleges and Universities this year. Washington University in St. Louis is the only other Missouri institution to be ranked higher.

Westminster climbed 13 rankings to place 113 in the national rankings of the Forbes/CCAP (Center for College Affordability and Productivity) comparison of higher education institutions.

"We review just nine percent of the 6,600 accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States," says David M. Ewalt of Forbes magazine. "So appearing on our list at all is an indication that a school meets a high standard."

This marks the third year in row that Westminster has been one of the Top 150 America Colleges from Missouri. In addition to Washington University, the only other Missouri school to place in the Top 150 this year is Rockhurst University at 131.

Forbes/CCAP also named Westminster as the Best Liberal Arts College in Missouri and as the 71st Best Liberal Arts College in America in a separate ranking. Below Westminster was William Jewell College, ranking 96th.

In Forbes/CCAP's ranking of the Best Colleges and Universities in the Midwest, Westminster placed 23rd with only Washington University doing better among Missouri rankings.

"We are pleased that media outlets such as Forbes are recognizing that the quality of education and the value for their money that students receive at Westminster compares favorably to the top colleges and universities in the nation," says Westminster President Dr. George B. Forsythe.

In its rankings, Forbes focuses on factors that directly concern incoming students such as the interest level of courses, ability to graduate in four years, amount of debt incurred and success rate in job placement upon graduation.

The eleven factors assessed include how much graduates succeed in chosen professions upon graduation, how satisfied students are with the college experience, how much debt is incurred, how many students finish in four years and a school's quality compared to cost.
"Our list of more than 600 undergraduate institutions is based on the quality of the education they provide, the experiences of the students and how much they achieve," says Ewalt.